As cricket stardom beckons, Jake Fraser-McGurk is set to become the face of the San Francisco Unicorns

Australia were knocked out of the T20 World Cup earlier than expected, with the ageing team increasingly drained of energy as the tournament gathered steam.

Hindsight is of course easier, but 22-year-old Jake Fraser-McGurk could have given Australia a healthy dose of youthful energy and a much-needed boost.

After sparking the Indian Premier League with an explosiveness that pushed the boundaries of batting in the powerplay, Fraser-McGurk suddenly became an attractive candidate for Australia's T20 World Cup squad.

But the selection committee stuck to the experience of those who had been part of a successful period for Australia across formats.

“I wasn't really surprised that I didn't get into the first team,” Fraser-McGurk told me in a phone interview. “I think it's hard to break through just because of that experience at the top of the order.”

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Fraser-McGurk was eventually handed a spot as a reserve after receiving a push from his teammates who were keen to bring this X-factor to the Caribbean.

“Of course I talk to the players a lot. I think a few of them wanted me there as a reserve, so it wasn't unexpected that I got the spot,” he said.

He didn't end up playing, but Fraser-McGurk looms as a key figure in a move to Australia, with the next T20 World Cup just 18 months away. It's a remarkable rise after Fraser-McGurk's fledgling career was at a crossroads 12 months ago.

After showing glimpses of his raw batting, marked by clean strokes, Fraser-McGurk struggled with consistency and could not get his game together. Instead, he became best known for his spectacular catching in the outfield, displaying astonishing athleticism and a vertical leap befitting a basketball player.

Fraser-McGurk was only offered a rookie contract with his Australian state of Victoria before being tempted by South Australia, who had identified talented players as part of a recruitment strategy to pluck players from the underclass.

Advice from South Australia batting coach Stephen Stubbings was quickly drummed into him. “If you see a ball in any shape that you think you can hit four or six times, just go for it,” Stubbings told him. “But be 100 percent committed.”

Fraser-McGurk took it to heart and smashed a spectacular 29-ball ton against Tasmania in the Marsh Cup to rewrite the record books with the fastest List A century ever. It gave him the confidence he needed as Fraser-McGurk enjoyed a breakthrough season on home soil and at the end of a whirlwind summer he represented Australia in ODI cricket.

But to the wider public, Fraser-McGurk was still relatively unknown. At the start of the IPL season, he could walk the streets of cricket-mad India without much fuss.

After quickly becoming a favourite at Delhi Capitals and beyond, with his hard hitting so extreme it resembled a video game, Fraser-McGurk suddenly became a marked man.

“Towards the end of the IPL, there were people following me and asking for pictures,” he said. “I'm managing it all pretty well. It's definitely not as much attention as some other players like Pat Cummins or David Warner.”

During the IPL, he showed some sage advice from Warner, whom he ironically replaced as Delhi's opener and who will almost certainly follow in his footsteps for Australia.

“He talked a lot about the venues in the IPL and what the pitches were doing,” Fraser-McGurk said of Warner. “But I talked to him a lot about the off-field stuff and life in general, dealing with the attention and pressure.

“(He) is now going to be a lifelong friend to me. I can call him whenever I want and know that he will always answer and have time for me.”

In Delhi, who finished sixth in the 10-team IPL, Fraser-McGurk also took lessons from coach and legendary Australian batsman Ricky Ponting. While Warner offered advice on the mental side of the game, Ponting focused on Fraser-McGurk's technique and analysed his swing.

With his powerful forearms, Fraser-McGurk's favourite strike zone is through midwicket and he puts everything into his almighty swing as if he were playing baseball. When he hits, the ball flies at bullet speed towards the crowd or past it. But sometimes he overdoes it, leading to ugly dismissals.

“You go for 100%, sometimes around 80%,” Ponting told Fraser-McGurk.

The results were mesmerising, with Fraser-McGurk becoming the first player in the IPL to hit three half-centuries in 20 balls or less. His astonishing tournament strike rate of 234.04 was the highest of anyone who faced more than 25 balls.

Hitting the ball hard and restrictions on powerplay in the first six overs, with only two fielders allowed outside the ring, means Fraser-McGurk is unstoppable once he gets going.

The backing of Delhi's hierarchy also ensured that Fraser-McGurk was fearless. “They know I'm going to go there and play like this, so if it works out, it works out, and if it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out,” he said. “But they know what I can do and when it's my day, I can win games.”

The next step in his development is to become a versatile hitter, not just a wrecker. That means he needs to be better at dealing with gaps on the offside and balancing his aggression on the power play.

“By reading the times of the race you know when to speed up and when to hold back. You learn that with experience,” he said.

Fraser-McGurk is seen as Warner's successor in white-ball cricket, but he also has his sights set on Test cricket after scoring his maiden First-Class century for South Australia last season.

“Red-ball cricket is high on my list of priorities, I'm just trying to learn my craft because it's a completely different sport,” he said. “I'm trying to do as much as I can for South Australia in the Shield and any opportunities that come from that… hopefully I can grab them with both hands.”

Before all this, Fraser-McGurk will make his debut in Major League Cricket, where he is seen as a young attraction for the San Francisco Unicorns.

The Unicorns, who are defined by their Silicon Valley identity, used cutting-edge technology like AI to identify a rising star of the future. Fraser-McGurk fit the bill perfectly, with his devastating punching and box office appeal.

Australian superstar Pat Cummins is the team's headliner, while Fraser-McGurk is likely to open the batting duties with New Zealand heavy hitter Finn Allen. The Unicorns open their season on Sunday against the Los Angeles Knight Riders.

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“Americans love baseball and T20 cricket is similar. It’s a shortened version, but a lot more fun,” he chuckled.

“Most franchises try to build around certain players, so if San Francisco were to target me then I would embrace that. I like loyalty in cricket, hopefully this is the start of a long relationship.

“I can not wait.”